Theresa May should bring up Japan’s grotesque whaling practices when she meets Shinzo Abe

Strengthening trade ties may be on the agenda, but now is not the time to sweep Japan’s plans to resume commercial whaling under the rug

People who kill whales say they’d stop immediately if these glorious sea mammals could scream. “Nobody would be able to stand it”.

Even without screams, the reality of 21st-century whaling is horrific. The whales are chased until they are exhausted. They are caught using grenade-armed harpoons which explode inside the whales. Then their bodies, many of which will still be alive, are dragged to the ship.

If they survived the harpoon, they will be killed using further harpooning or high-powered rifles. Or they may be hacked apart. Some whales take more than an hour to be declared dead. But these magnificent creatures naturally lower their breathing and heart rate, so even if they appear dead they could still be alive and in absolute agony. Eventually, their bodies give up the fight.

Japan announced last month that it is going to resume commercial whaling, withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission’s ban, which was imposed in 1986, after some species were driven to the brink of extinction.

Unbowed by Tokyo’s barbaric move, Theresa May is welcoming Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe at Downing Street today to discuss trade.

The two nations are to proudly announce a multi-million pound collaboration on medical research, robotics and the use of data. Whether May puts pressure on Abe over whaling remains to be seen. After all, our prime minister has said that she has “always supported fox hunting”.

The horrors of whaling are worsened when you consider the extraordinary intelligence of these mammals. Studies have found they have self consciousness and can recognise themselves in mirrors, solve problems and use tools. They exhibit joy and grief. Fin whales, Humpback whales and Sperm whales have spindle neurons, a type of brain cell that only exists in other species of high intelligence: humans, great apes, bottlenose dolphins and elephants.

Like us, whales live in complex societies. They even talk in regional dialects. They show love and valour: a perfect example being when a 30-strong pod of whales remained with an injured member in shallows for three days, exposing themselves to sunburn and the risk of stranding, until it passed away.

Mankind’s relationship with fish and sea mammals is a bizarre one. For instance, we talk of sharks and jellyfish “invading” waters near tourist beaches, as if the oceans belong not to them but to us. Obviously, waters belong to those who live in them but the human race invades those waters in search of food and profit. Trillions of fish are killed each year for their meat, suffering horrific deaths.

Sadly, whales seem to be the latest victims of the march of populism. Abe is under pressure at home over his plans to let more foreigners into the Japan and his failure to defeat Vladimir Putin in the battle over the northern islands controlled by Russia. For the more nationalistic members of his party, whaling is a nationalist emblem. So Abe’s sudden defence of Japanese whalers is highly expedient.

As so often, human greed is trumping our natural compassion. When no one can hear the whales scream, it’s easy to do nothing. How many will stand against this barbaric whaling?